LOS Trip Report

[jimmie50]

4 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

That tour included the summer Palace at Bang Pa In

Summer Palace closed during covid, and has not re-opened.  Our guide, who has been doing this for 32 years, said she wasn't aware of any plans to open it again for tours.  Not sure what the lingering issues may be.  

[khaolakguy]

Although the interior of the Summer Palace itself is closed the extensive Summer Palace grounds are still open with their mix of architectures and landscaping and are still well worth visiting.

https://www.salahospitality.com/sala-stories/exploring-the-beauty-of-bang-pa-in-palace/

 

[jimmie50]

8 hours ago, khaolakguy said:

Summer Palace itself is closed

Thanks for clarifying that.  I should have been more specific.  Sorry for that.  

[jimmie50]

12 hours ago, jamiebee said:

where to go and what to do on my next trip

I would strongly recommend to go with a knowledgeable guide who is able to provide more details.  I had visited Ayutthaya once before with my Thai friends, but they really didn't know a lot about the history themselves.  I enjoyed this visit much more because the guide was able to provide the missing historical pieces.  

[thaiophilus]

22 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Death railway is well worth the drive.  There is a small museum there which is very interesting. 

There are (were?) three museums in Kanchanaburi. In order of must-see-ness:

The Death Railway Museum and Research Centre in the centre of the town between the station and the war cemetery, is the largest and newest, well up to modern western museum standards and well worth a visit. 

The JEATH War Museum a little way downstream has photographs and illustrations of life in the camp, some made by the POWs, but is basically a one-monk project and badly underfunded, so don't expect too much.

The "other" JEATH museum, the "World War II and JEATH War Museum" next to the bridge, has a lot of miscellaneous WWII stuff and some miscellaneous stuff. According to Google it's temporarily closed.

[thaiophilus]

22 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

 

Edited Tuesday at 12:09 PM by thaiophilus
Duplicate

[jimmie50]

Day 12 Kanchanaburi

Another early morning start.  Departure from Bangkok was 6:30am once again.  Everyone had to request a to go breakfast box and have luggage downstairs in the lobby by 6:15am so it could be loaded onto the bus.  Will be staying at Felix River Kwai Resort for the next two nights.  Tour Director said travel time would be around three hours to Kanchanaburi, and I believe most everyone slept for a big portion of that time.  Upon arrival we went to the Thailand-Burma Railway Center, and the War Cemetery where over 6000 prisoners of war were laid to rest.  I really don’t recall much from my history lessons about the impact of WW2 in this area.  Yes, I know there was a famous movie produced about the Bridge over the River Kwai, but I never watched it.  Walking through the museum exhibits and reading about how terrible the conditions were for the POW’s, I was curious why more isn’t said.  We are constantly reminded about the European front and how terrible the holocaust was, but you hear very little about the Asian front.  This stop was a bit of an eye-opener for me, and I want to learn more once I return to Denver.  After a couple of hours here, we traveled to see the infamously named Death Railway.  We had a delicious traditional Thai lunch at a restaurant near the train station.  After lunch we boarded a local train for a ride with gorgeous views over the river and a journey across wooden viaducts.  We rode the train for approximately 45-50 minutes before getting off.  Our coach was waiting to take us to see the famous bridge.  Had a chance to actually walk out on the bridge.  The resort is located just a short distance across the river.  Had a nice group dinner together to bring our day to a close.  Fortunately, no early departure tomorrow for the days activities.  Heard from all three of my young men today.  Think they were checking up on me.  lol.  Was actually surprised to hear from the first Grinder guy.  Don’t want to encourage him too much since I am really not interested.  Sam from Paradise was just checking in, and chatted a few times with Bee throughout the day.

[12is12]

I recommend watching the movie, impressive even 2day.

[jimmie50]

Day 13 Kanchanaburi

It seems there is some special event for high school students taking place in Kanchanaburi sponsored by a local university.  Not sure of the event purpose, but the students are from Bangkok and I am assuming they attend a private school with English being the main language.  Instructors were all native English speakers. This resort is quite large, so with the exception of breakfast this morning, we haven’t seen much of them.  There is a Convention Pavilion on the property which is where most of their activities are taking place.  Restaurant staff seemed slightly frazzled trying to deal with 100+ teenagers plus all of their regular guests.  Our out today is to Hellfire Pass. Both the museum/cemetery visit yesterday, and this trip to Hellfire Pass were very emotional. We heard the harrowing stories of how the 500-meter-long and 26-meter-deep section of rock was dug out by Prisoners of War using no more than picks, hammers and their bare hands. Exploring the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum gave me cause for some serious reflection.  My father was in the army during World War II, and was stationed in the Philippines.  As I was looking at the exhibits and reading the stories, even though he was not a POW I stopped to think what if he had been captured and sent here.  Conditions were just horrific.  It really brought tears to my eyes.  It is quite a physical trek, about 70 meters down, but there is a well-built and maintained path.  Be aware it includes many sections of steep steps, however.  You also should come prepared with spray for the mosquitos.  They are quite abundant and very hungry.  Once on the trail, there are no restrooms available, no return services, and no water…so go prepared.  You need to plan for more than just one hour here…we spent probably three hours at the site before departing for lunch.  The museum and pass were actually built/developed by the Australian government.  They maintain the site, and even pay the salaries of workers.  We drove about 20 minutes from the Museum to a local restaurant for lunch of traditional Thai dishes: minced pork w/holy basil, chicken wings, shrimp in tamarind sauce, green vegetable and soup.  The shrimp dish and green vegetable are unique or special to this area of Thailand.  Soup was all vegetables in some sort of a tomato based broth, but not spicy at all.  After lunch we headed back to the river for a long tail boat ride enjoying the mountains and jungle scenery, ending with a taste of culture at Mon Tribal Village.  Busy day, but very satisfying as well.  Group had dinner together at the hotel restaurant…a very nice buffet dinner with a mix of Thai and Western (fried chicken nuggets and baked macaroni and cheese).  Depart for Sukhothai in the morning.  And, of course, been chatting with Bee.  Actually good the tour is keeping me so busy that it is serving as a distraction from not being able to see him again this trip.  ‘sigh’   Heard from Sam at Paradise again as well.  Kind of given up on the idea of anything with the cute bus attendant. He is always busy helping everyone and that's his job...I get it.  Once we are dropped off at the hotel, the bus, driver and attendant all disappear.  The only one we ever see around the hotel is the tour director until our pick up time the next day.  No idea where those two are actually eating and sleeping.  Besides...keeping my focus on Bee at the moment.  

[khaolakguy]

It sounds a very well-organised and thorough tour.

[Keithambrose]

On 10/28/2025 at 5:21 PM, 12is12 said:

I recommend watching the movie, impressive even 2day.

Except for Hollywood  insisting on an American, William Holden,  being inserted into the plot, and being given lead billing!

[jimmie50]

Day 14 Sukhothai

Another early morning start.  Our tour director has warned us that today will be a long travel day, as it will take approximately 6 hours to reach Sukhothai.  This does not include stops along the way.  First stop on our journey was at a roadside stand selling sticky rice, but unlike any other I have had in Thailand before.  This was sweetened with coconut milk and sugar, mixed with taro or beans, and pressed into a piece of bamboo about 12-15 inches long.  They used black or purple rice, and cook the rice in the bamboo over charcoal fire for around 90 minutes.  Once the sticky rice is removed from the fire, the use a pick or hatchet to split open the bamboo.  Using a spoon you eat the sticky rice directly from the bamboo.  Very different texture from mango sticky rice, and this is always warm as you eating it coming directly from the charcoal.  It was really quite delicious.  Next stop was a visit to Bhutsaya Khiri Suvarnabhumi, also known as the Rock Buddha.  This is an old mining area that was no longer used and a monk convinced the government to give the land to allow a temple and seated buddha to be built. The project was started in 2014 and completed in 2019.  It was quite impressive to see, as was the accompanying elevated viewing walkway.  The engineering required to build the walkway was fascinating.  Next stop was at Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park, which I believe is a UNESCO site. During the Sukhothai Kingdom, this city was known as Chakangrao and was an important part of the defense system for the kingdom.  Next stop was lunch at a nice garden restaurant ‘off the beaten path’ so to speak, with some traditional but different dishes than we have had previously.  After lunch, another two hours on the bus before arriving at our hotel in Sukhothai.  A good day, but kind of travel weary.  Looking forward to a good nights sleep after our group dinner.  Had a nice chat with Bee online before turning in for the evening.

[jimmie50]

17 hours ago, khaolakguy said:

It sounds a very well-organised and thorough tour.

I have done a number of tours over the years with Trafalgar and really enjoyed them.  All of my previous tours were in Europe.  I haven't done a tour since COVID, so wasn't sure what to expect this time.  You never know what adjustments or changes they made and decided to keep after COVID that could possibly create a different experience.  So far, I am very pleased with the service.  Accommodations have all been excellent, food has been traditional and delicious with a wide variety, and the daily excursions/activities have been fun as well as informative.  I would certainly do it again.